Early Australian Voyages: Pelsart, Tasman, Dampier eBook

CHAPTER XVI: ARRIVES IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF BURNING ISLAND, AND SURVEYS
THE WHOLE COAST OF NEW GUINEA.

On the 20th, in the latitude of 5 degrees 4 minutes
south, and in the longitude 164 degrees 27 minutes,
we found the variation 8 degrees 30 minutes east.
We that night drew near the Brandande Yland, i.e.,
burning island, which William Schovten mentions, and
we perceived a great flame issuing, as he says, from
the top of a high mountain. When we were between
that island and the continent, we saw a vast number
of fires along the shore and half-way up the mountain,
from whence we concluded that the country must be
very populous. We were often detained on this
coast by calms, and frequently observed small trees,
bamboos, and shrubs, which the rivers on that coast
carried into the sea; from which we inferred that
this part of the country was extremely well watered,
and that the land must be very good. The next
morning we passed the burning mountain, and continued
a west-north-west course along that coast.

It is remarkable that Schovten had made the same observation
with respect to the driftwood forced by the rivers
into the sea. He likewise observed that there
was so copious a discharge of fresh water, that it
altered the colour and the taste of the sea.
He likewise says that the burning island is extremely
well peopled, and also well cultivated. He afterwards
anchored on the coast of the continent, and endeavoured
to trade with the natives, who made him pay very dear
for hogs and cocoa-nuts, and likewise showed him
some ginger. It appears from Captain Tasman’s
account that he was now in haste to return to Batavia,
and did not give himself so much trouble as at the
beginning about discoveries, and to say the truth,
there was no great occasion, if, as I observed, his
commission was no more than to sail round the new discovered
coasts, in order to lay them down with greater certainty
in the Dutch charts.

CHAPTER XVII: COMES TO THE ISLANDS OF JAMA AND MOA.

On the 27th, being in the latitude of 2 degrees 10
minutes south, and in the longitude of 146 degrees
57 minutes, we fancied that we had a sight of the
island of Moa, but it proved to be that of Jama, which
lies a little to the east of Moa. We found here
great plenty of cocoa-nuts and other refreshments.
The inhabitants were absolutely black, and could
easily repeat the words that they heard others speak,
which shows their own to be a very copious language.
It is, however, exceedingly difficult to pronounce,
because they make frequent use of the letter R, and
sometimes to such a degree that it occurs twice or
thrice in the same word. The next day we anchored
on the coast of the island of Moa, where we likewise
found abundance of refreshments, and where we were
obliged by bad weather to stay till May 9th.
We purchased there, by way of exchange, six thousand